Recessional
by xxivxo
Summary: FangxLightning - - The idea of breaking past Lightning's emotional barriers is all too intriguing for Fang.
1. Chapter 1

Authors Note: This is my first FangxLightning story. I haven't written in quite a while so it probably won't be my best of works. I really do love this couple though so I hope to do it some justice by putting a good story up for other fans.

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy XIII or any aspect of it, Square Enix does. All I own is my creative ideas that contribute to this work of fiction. Enjoy.

**Recessional**

**- - x - -  
**

_P r o l o g u e_

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* * *

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The softest sigh was heard. Lightning was tired of all this running around nonsense. The decision to head to Felix Heights was probably not the smartest of ideas since they were sure to be caught within a few hours of being there, but there was an obligation to Hope's mother to get him home safely. In the woman's odd revelation, Lightning had somehow taken up a motherly role for Hope. Not to mention, she was more of a mother in worry now than ever before. All that filled her mind was the idea of Operation Nora being carried out. Just having the young boy seeing her before, she couldn't imagine what would happen if he acted as she probably would have if Serah had died.

Trying to keep herself from pacing in worry, she moved to lean close to the wall just as her eyes slowly wandered over the figure directly next to her. The blue satin delicately clung against the other woman's body as a tan hand ran along the unusual looking L'Cie mark. As she heard the accented voice speak to her, she decided to halt her thoughts and reply in hopes of being distracted.

"Yo, Lightning. You alive?"

"Oh uh yeah..."

Fang tilted her head a bit for a moment before shrugging it off. "Right well, tell me something. Did you get a chance to see Vanille's brand?"

"I don't think so, why?" Lightning voiced this curiously. Come to think of it, Vanille's brand wasn't anywhere noticeable like her own.

"Your mark, it can tell you how much time you have left before going Cieth. Over time, when you begin getting closer, more arrows will appear and eventually an eye will form in the center."

Her blue eyes watched Fang closely as she pointed at her mark and drew air-like figures for an example. It was when her dark eyes shifted to stare at her that she felt a jolt of something run through her. A steps were being taken towards her, she couldn't help but stare at the other woman.

"C'mon now don't be shy. Let's have a look."

The blonde scolded herself for feeling weird about the situation. They were both women, what did it matter if she looked to see if her life was closer to being saved or not. She slowly unzipped the top portion of her sweater to have her chest exposed along with the mark directly near the top of her breasts. A pair of tan fingers moved to run over the mark, lingering there for a moment too long. Upon pulling away, they slightly brushed against the side of her black bra just as a small chuckle escaped her lips.

"Looks like you've got time."

Lightning quickly assumed an unphased look just as she rezipped her sweater and looked further ahead to avoid those dark-colored eyes. Hearing some PSICOM soldiers further ahead reminded her of their mission. She reverted back to fighting mode, grabbing the hilt of her weapon from it's case to pull it out.

"We should keep moving."

**x**

It wasn't long before they had inched closer to their destination. Standing near the middle of the stairs, the other woman had sat down for a moment upon them. Some words were exhanged, involving the same issues at hand. She was caught by surprise though whenever the brunette stood up. As her dark eyes stared up to the sky, she began to speak more on Vanille.

"I'll tear down the sky if it'll save her."

The words were spoken with a hidden meaning of protection and love. Although it was difficult to decipher what kind of love that was. Just from first apperances, the taller woman seemed to be one that flirted quite alot and with anyone. This would make it easy for her to love the carefree spirit that was Vanille. Supposedly in her mind, they would probably make a perfect couple. The former soldier lowered her gaze for a moment while beginning to dwell on the thought far too much.

Love? She surely never felt the word but seeing how Fang was so adamant on finding this woman and protecting her almost made her want to. In a way she felt it with Hope, but it wasn't getting to the underlying feeling itself. From how she always acted, it almost made her wonder if she was capable of being loved.

"What the bloody hell..." The accented words caused blue eyes to quickly blink and focus up at the building not too far away. As fire erupted on it's structure, the two merely looked at each other before rushing ahead.

Entering the shaded area that connected them to Felix Heights, a few enemies came rushing towards them. Lightning felt an anxiousness in her gut. All she could do was fight with all her might and get to the duo. Gripping the hilt of her saber, it almost seemed too easy with this emotion fueling her veins. She could sense Fang watching her almost curiously. Was this what it felt like to fight for something real besides just aiming for a target?

Fang must've sensed it because she sent a slight smirk her way. They were easily tearing through soldiers, running towards a Lodster Behemoth now. That smirk only fueled her more. It took next to nothing to stagger the beast, killing it within moments. No time was left as they ran up the area, turning slightly just to appear at the top of the hill. Snow was unconcious as the young teen was aiming to fight a larger obstacle than he could handle.

The blonde inwardly sighed in relief at seeing both of them still alive, even if Snow was unconscious at the moment. Hearing the other woman's words guided to Hope only made her chuckle softly. "Got some fight in ya huh?"

It made her proud to see the young man was beginning to come into his own with fighting. With all three of them carrying out proper Paradigms, it made the battle go along swiftly. It caught everyone by surprise when the satin-clad figure went to attack and the machine flew away.

"Eh...guess I scared it off." Fang simply shrugged it off while moving to check on the bulky blond nearby.

The knife was glittering against the sunset's rays. Her blue eyes focused on Hope as he spoke to her firmly. "Operation Nora...didn't work out."

It took nothing for her to pull him directly against her in a hug. A pair of dark eyes were surely watching the scene unfold. This must've been what Fang wanted to do with Vanille. To be able to hold her and tell her that...

"It's all right. I'll keep you safe."

Pulling back slowly, she smiled at him just as Fang quickly spoke up. "We should get this lug to a bed."

"Yeah. Soldiers will surely be returning soon. They won't let an explosion like that go unnoticed for very long."

**x**

The television broadcast could only make her smirk. They sure didn't like L'Cie running around doing whatever they liked. As she crossed her arms, she looked around the house more. Anything to distract herself from thinking about the scene from earlier. It didn't help that while wandering down the hallway, her gaze noticed the woman sitting so formally in a chair. Her voice seemed sincere in whatever she was saying. From the woman she met a few hours ago, it was enough to give her whip-lash for the 180 that the former soldier had done.

It certainly was strange to see her interactions with her comrades. Over time, she seemed to be slowly growing closer to each one. Did that mean the same would occur with herself? Fang rubbed her chin thoughtfully while turning back to some pictures on a table. Seeing the family photo of Hope made her think of Vanille. It was never her style to dwell on depressing things. With each day that passed that she didn't see the young woman, it made it harder to grasp onto the hope that she was still okay.

But...perhaps she could focus on something else in the meantime. Maybe an experiment of sorts. It would be interesting to see if the other woman would even attempt to get close to her. Of course, she could help to shove her in the right direction. That trademark smirk formed on her lips again as many thoughts flowed in her mind. The woman didn't look like the type to desire men, much less let herself follow a man's orders. Leaning against a pillar, she could only imagine what the upcoming days would be like.

Ah, this would be interesting indeed.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Recessional_**

Part II

* * *

It had been quite a series of mishaps and adventures since reuniting the entire group. Recalling the rather interesting reunion between the two Gran Pulse women, it had made most of the group feel embarrassment.

Everyone had looked away, but for some reason Lightning found herself staring over at the scene. It was one of complete concern, but that didn't stop her from feeling a bit flushed just from seeing the woman clad in blue lean down to peer at the upper thigh of a bright-eyed Vanille.

The motion was swift, her dark eyes glancing over the mark and instantly feeling a great amount of relief pass through her. The idea of losing her the only person she still considered family, it had caused her a great amount of stress that had only continued to build over every hour that passed with her absence.

Time fast forward. Great escapes were made to have them now trekking across the vast plains of Gran Pulse. Monsters and creatures of great magnificence and fearsome strength were both in the open and hiding in the shadows. The day was shifting gradually to the confines of an evening sky, and the group was still hard at work in training.

The former PSICOM soldier sighed as she swiftly stabbed yet another creature that had crossed her path. It was becoming far too easy, clearly she was reaching that magnitude of strength that overrode the monsters in their current area. As she looked over at the others who were either fighting as well or merely standing and waiting, she saw the one who had been almost like a permanent resident in her thoughts as of late.

It was starting to annoy her. Overthinking had always been a weakness of hers, but the heat of battle usually was enough to distract her from thinking of anything but survival. Lately that was not the case. Even with her sword in hand, blood covering over the entire length of the vast weapon, she still could now shake the way that those green eyes had begun to pierce her recently.

Ever since they had met, it felt as if they had already been on the same wavelength. Able to understand one another as both fighters and human beings, that was not something Lightning was able to do very easily. It was true she had always been closed off, not usually one to welcome another person in with open arms. She was always doubting, always questioning and waiting for someone to cross her in the wrong manner. Defenses were always up, and she was never one to show too many emotions other than that of stoicness.

But, it seemed like every normal mannerism had been torn down in such a short amount of time. It was true, that spending time with this team that was up for saving the world, they had all affected her in some way. But no one but the woman in satin, the one with that accent that lingered on every word she spoke, she was the only one who made her heart beat in an unusual way. When her eyes stared over at her, she could feel it almost like fire on her skin.

She felt that burning right then.

Her blaze saber was coated in the redness from the creature that laid lifeless on the ground before her now. As she breathed out slowly, her blue irises shifted over to meet the gaze of the tan woman standing some feet away. She too had just slain her own opponent and was now smirking just slightly.

That smirk caused her to let a low chuckle pass her lips. She didn't even know why she even responded, it was almost like she had been set to always show some sort of reaction to the woman. Getting attention from her was something she couldn't deny enjoying.

She just hated actually finding herself admitting to that fact.

"I think it's about time we finish up for the day." Snow punched his hands together in a usual fashion for him just as Sazh nodded.

"We'll head back to camp. This catch should be good for dinner tonight." Sazh began to gather up some of the portions of the creatures that would be suited for food just as Hope started helping him.

The sky was holding a slight shade of blue but it was slowly starting to form into that orange contrast. Camp was only about a mile off. That didn't make the trip seem any shorter though, especially with the more powerful monsters starting to roam about.

The group had managed to make half the journey across the plains with no issue. It was as they began to ascend the mountain path that led them to their campsite that they hit a snag.

"I think I had the best session today. I mean, did you see the size of that.."

Snow was arguing with Vanille and Lightning about some monster or another that had apparently been the 'best kill'; it was obvious that Lightning didn't agree. That was a daily ritual for them though, to never agree on anything.

With her tan arms crossing over one another, she could only listen to the subtle bickering while trying not to laugh at how silly it was getting. It was cute to see how flustered the pink-haired woman would become in some instances. The fact that she would argue her point until she won, that was always a trait she liked about her. And it was also cute, as stated before.

The arguing was cut off just as the ground began to shake. Trampling along the path in front of them was the largest Behemoth that the group had seen yet. It looked to be of a different species, and the power it held was practically seeping off almost like an aura.

"So Snow, would you agree that that would be the biggest kill of the day?"

Before Snow could even respond in that voice full of confidence, Lightning intervened.

"You can't be serious? That thing is obviously way too strong for any of us to take on yet."

"Won't know till we find out."

Fang pulled out her spear with a bit of a twirl, just as she began to approach the large beast. It had already heard the commotion and was starting to turn to face the challenger.

"Fang, you're out of your fucking mind!"

Lightning was torn between being annoyed, angry, and uneasy. She wasn't sure what to feel or how to react, and as she witnessed that first swing taken by the creature and then by the woman in question-she already had a very bad feeling in her gut.

The group had made no move from their standing position. Everyone could tell that this creature was far too intense to even think of taking on, but even still a blaze saber joined the fray of battle.

The two worked in a traditional Commando and Ravager scenario. Even just a few minutes in, it felt as if they had been battling forever. Almost drained of their energy, it was evident they were no match. And just as the green-eyed woman was about to order a retreat, the huge beast began to make a swing.

In that moment, a decision was made without rationalization. All green eyes saw was an imminent death heading towards her partner in battle. Moving quicker than she ever thought possible, Fang skidded over to her just in time to receive most of the impact of the blow on her spear. The fierceness of the strike was still too great, and both were sent tumbling back in the midst of breaking portions of rock.

The air whipped around them just as their bodies made a noisy collision with the ground. Muffled screams were heard from what seemed like miles away now. The impact had left them disoriented for a short while, and when blue irises finally opened once more, all that was seen was rock.

Rocks blocked the area from where they had once been. It looked as if they were still in the mountains but in an unknown area to either of them. As Lightning lifted herself up slowly, she couldn't detect any permanent damage but she just felt immensely sore.

Glancing around, she didn't sense the presence of the huge creature. As she finished her full once-over of the area, that was when she saw the other woman lying on the ground beneath a few rocks.

Panic instantly rocked her core as she slowly managed to get up in order to make her way over to her. Throwing the few rocks aside, she knelt down over woman clad in blue.

"Fang..! Goddammit say something!"

It was unlike her to feel so worried. To have her hands actually shaking at the thought of this person not opening her eyes, to not feel her take another breath from those lips. As she gripped onto those tan arms, it made her gasp loudly at feeling a hand grab her wrist.

"You're gripping me back to life. Geez Farron…"

Lightning sighed in relief. As she shrunk back slightly from holding the woman, she realized how much she had been panicking in just those few minutes.

"I'm not gonna die that easily."

Fang slowly began to work to a sitting up position. As she finally reached that point, she let her right arm rest on her propped up leg just as she began to examine the damage that had been done. Nothing was broken, she just needed a healing spell or two.

"We've been separated from the others. I'm not sure where this path leads, but I suppose we should find out."

It was almost like she had reverted back to that auto-pilot mode of survival. Being stuck with the one who was carelessly floating around in your thoughts was not something that she had been betting on doing. Lightning slowly stood up, before hearing a soft laugh from the woman on the ground.

"You know, we could always just take a breather. I imagine you would even agree to it after that finale to today."

"Hey, this is _your_ fault. Considering we don't know where we are, I don't think it's wise to be lingering around here too long."

"Relaaax, we're just gonna stay for a short bit to rest."

"Tch."

Lightning had her hands on her hips, glancing at her surroundings once again while not saying another word. She was a bit fatigued from training today, and taking a hit from a behemoth is not something you take easily. Not saying anything else in terms of conversation, she began to gather up a few pieces of wood nearby to begin a fire. It was a shame they would be missing a great dinner.

The evening sky started to make it descent completely as the makings of a fire was completed. Fang sat on the other side of the flames but that didn't stop her from staring over at the woman who had shed her outer jacket. She was clad in her black undershirt as she seemed to be preoccupied with staring at the sky.

The idea of taking on the behemoth had been a dare devil thing to do yes, but it had confirmed the one thing that she had been curious to know. It seemed as if that enough time had passed for the usually closed-off woman to become attached enough to care for her well-being.

Fang leaned back against the boulder that had settled into the ground. With a small smirk working its way over her lips, all she could think was one thing.

_It's going to be a long night._


	3. Important: Notice from Author

I'm posting this note on all of my currently on-going stories that might possibly be removed if this purging process is successful.

I've been posting all of my stories on my tumblr, which is public. So if anyone wants to still keep track of my _mature_ stories, they can check for them there as well.

x—starseeker[.]tumblr[.]com

Without the brackets around the dots. Just paste that into your URL and it'll come up.

The link is also on my profile page.

I'll remove this note if the mods change their minds on this ridiculous idea.


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